Season overview: Boys varsity makes progress
The Indians boys varsity basketball squad took another step forward this year in its quest to become more competitive in a league that has some very talented teams.
The team finished with a 4-13 overall record. Although the Indians struggled at times, they did beat Smithtown Christian twice as well as a tough Greenport team on our home court. In addition, the Indians battled Pierson twice, losing by only four points on the road (45-41) and another hard fought game at home.
The Indians struggled on offense at times, scoring 736 points during their 17-game schedule for an average of 43.3 points per game. They gave up 962 points (56.6 per game). The Indians held their opponents to just 40 points per game during their four victories. The team shot 32.4 percent from inside the arc, 28.6 percent from behind the arc and 60.3 percent from the foul line.
The individual team scoring leaders included Jimmy Read, who shot just under 40 percent in the 2-point area; Alex Graffagnino, who shot just over 36 percent from the 3-point area; and Nathan Mundy, who connected on 42 of 59 free throws (71 percent).
The rebounding leaders included Jimmy Read (133), Nathan Mundy (74), Hunter Starzee (69), Matthew BeltCappellino (68) and Myles Clark (62). The three top players with steals included Jimmy Read (33), Matthew BeltCappellino (29) and Alex Graffagnino (23). These same three players also led the team in assists with Jimmy’s 45, Matthew’s 26 and Alex’s 22. In addition, Jimmy Read totaled 20 of the team’s 47 blocked shots and Nathan Mundy led the team by taking four “charge calls” while playing defense.
Once again, turnovers continued to plague the team throughout the season. The Indians committed 308 turnovers, which averages to about 18 per game. During their four wins, they committed just 12 turnovers per game. Cutting down on some of these self-inflicted wounds will be a major goal for next year’s team.
It is no wonder that senior Tri-Captain Jimmy Read earned All-League honors. He led the Indians in almost every offensive category, although sophomore Matthew BeltCapellino outscored Jimmy by 3 points (163 to 160) for the season. Sophomore Nathan Mundy finished third with 133 points.
Jimmy’s leadership, consistent effort and performance enabled him to become an All-League player. He was usually assigned to guard the opponents’ best offensive players and expended a great deal of energy on the defensive end of the court. Both Jimmy and Alex will graduate in June and will be truly missed next season.
Junior Hunter Starzee continued to grow as a player and had a solid year. His best performance was a near-perfect game against Smithtown Christian, scoring a season high 19 points. Hunter knows how to battle under the boards and his outside shooting has continued to improve.
Also returning next season are juniors Myles Clark, Wyatt Brigham and Chandler Olinkiewicz. Myles averaged just over 4 points and 4 rebounds per game. He is a player with excellent potential and should be a key player next season. Wyatt Brigham only played five games this season prior to being injured in the Stony Brook game. Although he missed much of the season, Wyatt came to practice every night and did what he could on the sidelines. He also scored 11 points on two occasions and shot a team-high 40 percent from the floor.
Chandler Olinkiewicz hit his stride toward the end of the season and had a huge game against Ross with 11 points and 6 rebounds. If Chandler gets quicker and increases his stamina, he too will be a force on next year’s team.
A special thanks to the three sophomores who played both at the JV and varsity levels: Riley Willumsen, Matthew Dunning and Drew Garrison. All three will be on the varsity team next season and could play key roles. The biggest concern will be the “point guard” position, as well as developing more depth on the team, which will enable the Indians to play a more aggressive style of defense and generate a better running game on offense.
